Spout assembly for liquid container

ABSTRACT

A spout assembly for a liquid container includes a spouting member formed on an outlet of the container, a closer coupled on the spouting member, a male seal structure formed on the spouting member, and a female seal structure formed on the closer, the female seal structure corresponding to the male seal structure.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a spout assembly for a liquid containerthat that allow liquid material contained in the container to bepreserved for a long time by improving a seal state, and moreparticularly, to a spout assembly that has a female seal structure thatis designed to be engaged with a male seal structure formed on aspouting portion of the container, thereby providing a high seal statebetween the container and the spout assembly.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, beverages such as mineral water and juice, or other liquid orgel material such as pharmaceutical agents and detergents are containerin a variety of containers, which is then packed, delivered, and sold. Acloser is coupled on an opening of the container. In use, a user opensthe closer and exhausts the contents. When the content is beverage, theuser drinks the content with his/her lip contacting the spouting portionor using a straw.

The container may be a synthetic resin bottle or a pouch container, or apaper container. When the container is the pouch container, a spoutingbody is attached on the pouch container and the spouting body is closedby a closer.

However, such a conventional spout assembly for the liquid container isdesigned to depend on only the coupling force between the closer and theopening of the container, sufficient seal force cannot be provided. Thatis, there may be a leakage even by small external shock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has made in an effort to solve theabove-described problems of the conventional art.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a spout assemblyfor providing a tight seal between a closer and a spouting portion byengaging a male seal member formed on the closer and a female sealmember formed on the spouting portion in addition by screw-coupling thecloser on the spouting portion.

To achieve the objective, the present invention provides a spoutassembly for a liquid container, comprising a spouting member formed onan outlet of the container; a closer coupled on the spouting member; amale seal structure formed on the spouting member; and a female sealstructure formed on the closer, the female seal structure correspondingto the male seal structure.

The male seal structure comprises a male seal projection formed on anupper end of a spouting portion of the spouting member, and the femaleseal structure comprises an insertion groove in which the male sealprojection is inserted.

The male seal structure comprises a circumferential elastic sealprojection formed on an upper end of a spouting portion or an inner walldefining the spouting portion.

The circumferential elastic seal projection is inclined outward orinward, and the female seal structure comprises a seal wall tightlydepressing the circumferential elastic seal projection.

The female seal structure comprises an insertion groove in which thecircumferential elastic seal projection is inserted.

The female seat structure comprises a circumferential inclined wall forguiding the circumferential elastic seal projection.

The spout assembly further comprises a tamper-proof connected to thecloser, the tamper-proof being provided with elastic projections and thespouting member being provided with hook projections, at least couple ofdistances between the elastic projections and the hook projections aredifferent from each other so that the elastic projections can contactthe hook projection with time differences when opening the closer.

The tamper-proof is further provided with resistance projections and thespouting member is provided with elastic hook projections.

A space is defined above an attaching portion of the spouting member,the attaching portion being attached on the inlet of the container.

A straw is inserted in the spouting portion of the spouting member.

The spouting member comprises a spouting guide member extending downwardfrom an attaching portion that is attached on the inlet of thecontainer.

The spouting member is integrally formed with the container.

The spouting member is attached on the inlet of the container.

The container is formed of a paper pack or a film pouch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a sectional view of a spout assembly for aliquid container according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views illustrating an assembledstate of a spout assembly according to the present invention;

FIGS. 4 to 12 are sectional views illustrating a variety of modifiedexamples of male and female seal structures according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 is a side view of a spout assembly of the present invention thatis attached on a container body;

FIGS. 14 to 17 are sectional views of a tamper-proof part of a spoutassembly according to the present invention; and

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a structure for receiving a straw in aspout assembly of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described morein detail hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention,illustrating a closer is coupled on a spouting portion.

In the drawing, a pouch container or other flexible synthetic resincontainers are exampled as a container. A spouting member 100 isassociated with the container, and a closer 200 is coupled on thespouting member 100.

The spouting member 100 comprises an attaching portion 101 attached onthe container, and a spouting portion 103 extending upward from theattaching portion 101 and provided with a spouting hole 102.

As a feature of the present invention, the spouting portion 103 isprovided with male seal structure. The male seal structure comprises acircumferential elastic seal projection 105 formed on an innercircumference of the spouting portion 103. The circumferential elasticseal projection 105 extends upward from the inner circumference of thespouting portion 103, being inclined toward a central axis of thespouting portion 103. An upper end portion of the spouting portion 103defines a male seal projection 106.

A closer 200 that will be associated with the spouting member 100 isprovided with a female seal structure corresponding to the male sealstructure. The closer 200 comprises a top portion 210, a side portion202 extending downward from the top portion 210, and an inner closer203.

The inner closer 203 is provided with a female seal structurecorresponding to the male seal structure of the spouting member 100. Thefemale seal structure comprises a circumferential inclined surfaceformed on a lower-end outer circumferential surface 204 of the innercloser 203 and a circumferential seal wall 205 defined on the innercloser 203 above the lower-end outer circumferential surface 204 todepress the circumferential elastic seal portion 105 of the spoutingmember 100. The female seal structure is provided with an insertiongroove 206 formed on a bottom of the top portion near the outercircumference of the circumferential seal wall 205. The male sealprojection 106 is inserted in the insertion groove 206.

An operation effect of the present invention will be describedhereinafter.

In the course of assembling the closer 200 on the spouting portion 103of the spouting member 100, a thread 107 of the spouting portion 103 iscoupled with a thread of the closer 200, and at the same time, thefemale seal structure of the closer is tightly interlocked with the maleseal structure of the spouting member 100.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the inclined wall 204 of the inner closer203 first contacts the circumferential elastic projection 105 of thespouting member 100 and pushes the circumferential elastic projection105 outward.

From this state, when the closer 200 is further rotated, the inclinedwall 204 further pushes the projection 105 outward, whereby thecircumferential seal wall 205 depresses the upper end of the projection105 to provide an enhanced seal. At the same time, the male sealprojection 106 is inserted in the insertion groove 206, therebyproviding a tight seal (see FIG. 3).

The closer 200 may be assembled o the spouting portion 103 of thespouting member 100 by a one-touch coupling manner instead of thescrew-coupling manner.

FIGS. 4 to 11 show a variety of modified examples of the male sealstructure.

Referring first to FIGS. 4 and 5, the circumferential elastic projection105 is formed on an upper end of the spouting portion 103 and foldedinward or outward. In use, circumferential projection 105 is elasticallyinserted in an insertion groove of the closure 200.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the circumferential elastic projection 105is designed to extending upward from an inner wall of the spoutingportion 103. In use, the circumferential elastic projection 105 iselastically compressed by an inner wall of the closer or an outer wallof the closer 203, thereby providing a tight seal.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the male seal projection 106 is defined by acircumferential step formed on an upper end of the spouting portion 103.In use, the insertion groove 206 of the closer 200 is associated withthe circumferential step 106, thereby providing a tight seal.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the circumferential step 106 is designedto be foldable outward. In use, an upper end of the circumferential step106 is folded by the insertion groove of the closer 200 to provide anenhanced tight seal.

FIG. 12 shows a modified example of a female seal structure of thepresent invention.

As shown in the drawings, the spouting member 100 comprises thecircumferential elastic projection 105 inclined at a predetermined anglefrom the inner wall 104 as the male seal structure and the male sealprojection 106 formed on the upper end of the spouting portion 103.

The closer 200 corresponding to the spouting member 100 comprises aninner closer 203 provided at a lower end with an inclined wall 204. Asub-insertion groove 208 is formed on the bottom of the top portion ofthe closer 200 above the inclined wall 204. The circumferential elasticprojection 105 is inserted in the sub-insertion groove 208. In addition,an insertion groove 206 in which the male seal projection 106 isinserted is further formed on the bottom of the top portion of thecloser 200.

FIG. 13 shows a detailed view of the spouting member.

As shown in the drawing, formed between the spouting portion 103 and theattaching portion 101 are a tamper-proof fixing portion 108 and a hookprojection forming portion 109. First and second spaces 111 and 112 aredefined between the attaching portion and the hook projection formingportion 109 by circumferential projections.

Guiding members 113 and 114 for guiding the insertion of the attachingportion 101 on the container body 300 are formed extending downward fromthe attaching portion 101.

Films of the container body 300 are attached with the attaching portion101 through a thermal-bonding process. In the course of thethermal-bonding process, the films and the attaching portion 101 arepartly molten. At this point, the molten material flows into the secondspace 112 to prevent the outer appearance of the container from beingdeteriorated.

FIG. 14 shows a structure in relation with the hook projection formingportion.

The hook projection forming portion 109 is provided with a plurality ofhook projections 110. The tamper-proof 211 of the closer 200 is providedwith a plurality of elastic projections 210 that are designed to behooked by the hook projections 110 to break away connecting portions 209of the tamper-proof 211 from the closer 200. When the closer 200 iscoupled on the spouting member 100, the distances A, B, C and D betweenthe hook projections 110 and the elastic projections 210 are designed tobe different from each other. When opening the closer 200, theconnecting portion having the smallest distance A is first broken andthe connecting portion having the largest distance D is lastly broken.

The distances A, B, C and D can be designed to be reduced gradually orrandomly. Instead of the connecting portions 209, a cutting line may beformed between the tamper-proof 211 and the closer 200, so that thetamper-proof 211 can be broken away as the elastic projections 210 arehooked on the hook projections 110.

FIG. 15 shows a modified example of the hook projection forming portion109 and the tamper-proof 211.

As shown in the drawing, the spouting member 100 is provided below thespouting portion with a plurality of hook projections 110 and theelastic hook projections 115 where the tamper-proof 211 can be hookedand fixed.

The tamper-proof 211 is provided with a plurality of elastic projections210 that are hooked on the hook projections 110 or the elastic hookprojections 115. The tamper-proof 211 is further provided withconnecting portions 209 formed near the elastic projections 210. Thetamper-proof 211 is further provided with resisting projections formednear the connecting portions 209.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show a closer 200. The closer 200 having a tamper-proof211 connected to a lower end of the side portion 202 by the connectingportions 209. The elastic projections 210 are formed on the inner wallof the tamper-proof 211 and inclined in a predetermined direction.

FIG. 18 shows a spout assembly associated with a straw.

As shown in the drawing, a straw 400 is inserted through the spoutingportion 103 of the spouting member. A tight seal is formed between thespouting portion 103 and the straw 400.

In use, when pressing or squeezing the container, the content in thecontainer is exhausted through the spouting hole 402 or a side bypasshole 401. The user may suck the straw to drink the content.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, since the spout assembly for a liquid containeraccording to the present invention is designed to allow liquid materialcontained in the container to be preserved for a long time by improvinga seal state that is realized by a female seal structure that isdesigned to be engaged with a male seal structure formed on a spoutingportion of the container, it can be applied to a variety of containerfor container liquid materials such as beverages or industrial liquidagents.

1. A spout assembly for a liquid container, comprising: a spoutingmember formed on an outlet of the container; a closer coupled on thespouting member; a male seal structure formed on the spouting member;and a female seal structure formed on the closer, the female sealstructure corresponding to the male seal structure.
 2. The spoutassembly of claim 1 wherein the male seal structure comprises a maleseal projection formed on an upper end of a spouting portion of thespouting member, and the female seal structure comprises an insertiongroove in which the male seal projection is inserted.
 3. The spoutassembly of claim 1 wherein the male seal structure comprises acircumferential elastic seal projection formed on an upper end of aspouting portion or an inner wall defining the spouting portion.
 4. Thespout assembly of claim 3 wherein the circumferential elastic sealprojection is inclined outward or inward, and the female seal structurecomprises a seal wall tightly depressing the circumferential elasticseal projection.
 5. The spout assembly of claim 2 wherein the femaleseal structure comprises an insertion groove in which thecircumferential elastic seal projection is inserted.
 6. The spoutassembly of claim 3 wherein the female seat structure comprises acircumferential inclined wall for guiding the circumferential elasticseal projection.
 7. The spout assembly of claim 1 further comprising atamper-proof connected to the closer, the tamper-proof being providedwith elastic projections and the spouting member being provided withhook projections, at least couple of distances between the elasticprojections and the hook projections are different from each other sothat the elastic projections can contact the hook projection with timedifferences when opening the closer.
 8. The spout assembly of claim 7wherein the tamper-proof is further provided with resistance projectionsand the spouting member is provided with elastic hook projections. 9.The spout assembly of claim 1 wherein a space is defined above anattaching portion of the spouting member, the attaching portion isattached on the inlet of the container.
 10. The spout assembly of claim1 wherein a straw is inserted in the spouting portion of the spoutingmember.
 11. The spout assembly of claim 1 wherein the spouting membercomprises a spouting guide member extending downward from an attachingportion that is attached on the inlet of the container.
 12. The spoutassembly of claim 1 wherein the spouting member is integrally formedwith the container.
 13. The spouting assembly of claim 1 wherein thespouting member is attached on the inlet of the container.
 14. Thespouting assembly of claim 1 wherein the container is formed of a paperpack or a film pouch.
 15. The spout assembly of claim 2 wherein the maleseal structure comprises a circumferential elastic seal projectionformed on an upper end of a spouting portion or an inner wall definingthe spouting portion.